Little direct aid to fishermen from ‘disaster’ declaration

I've heard that this declaration isn't likely to result in much direct aid to fishermen or other residents in Western Alaska.

"The declaration doesn’t bring any immediate aid, so relief must be sought through a congressional appropriation," the governor's special assistant for fisheries, Cora Campbell, tells me. "We will be working with stakeholders and the delegation to determine what type of relief to request."

CG called out to save Homer fishing vessel

The Coast Guard coordinated the rescue of three mariners on the 32-foot fishing vessel Butterfly, homeported in Homer, after the crew reported their vessel was taking on water about a mile off Gull Point in Ugak Bay near Kodiak Island Saturday.

Fishing boat stopped without a single survival suit

The Coast Guard Cutter Acushnet terminated the voyage of the 77-foot commercial fishing vessel Topaz for a safety violation during a boarding 14 miles southeast of Cape Chiniak.

A Coast Guard boarding team from the cutter found the vessel master operating without any immersion suits available for the crew. The Coast Guard requires commercial fishing vessels to operate with immersion suits available for each crew member in appropriate sizes.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Exxon tanker illustrates need for escorts

The Exxon tanker that briefly lost power in state waters Sunday while carrying more than 25 million gallons of crude oil has quickly become a poster child for pending federal legislation to beef up protection for Prince William Sound oil shipments.

Beluga habitat rule won’t affect fishermen

Brad Smith of the National Marine Fisheries Service was in Kenai for a public presentation on the proposed critical habitat for the Cook Inlet Beluga Whale, part of the process for the Endangered Species Act. Smith said commercial fishing should not be affected by the critical habitat listing.

– KSRM, Kenai

No future in Yukon fishery?

Last week's Yukon River economic disaster declaration by the nation's commerce secretary may not help all of the people in Western Alaska affected by two years of low salmon runs – and a village leader from the area says it's time to move beyond fishing for a stable future.

Scientist blames climate change for Yukon crash

A Chinook salmon fishery in Alaska has failed, the government acknowledged Friday, and scientists point to global warming. "When temperatures increase on salmon a spawning ground, that's often detrimental," said a government scientist.

Kenai River sports guides form group

Canadian, Haida sign fisheries management pact

The federal government signed an agreement with the Haida Nation Saturday to jointly manage the planning, operations and management of the waters surrounding southern Haida Gwaii, formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands.

Puget Sound groundfish disappearing

Remember when you could fish Puget Sound and count on boating at least a rockfish or cod or two? Those days are long gone. Where once there were ling cod, rockfish, sablefish, true cod, walleye pollock and others, about all that’s out there now beside a few salmon are sole and flounder.

Monterey Aquarium endorses farmed salmon

The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program is approving a particular method for farming Pacific coho salmon developed by AquaSeed Corp., which are grown in a freshwater, closed containment system, unlike salmon in the wild, which live primarily in saltwater but swim to freshwater every year to spawn.

Fish plant hit with $13,166 fine

Ocean Protein of Hoquiam has settled a fine with the Environmental Protection Agency for $13,166 for failing to properly report the storage of sulfuric acid at its fish meal plant in Hoquiam. The company will also pay for improved training of the Hoquiam Fire Department.

Fish farmers object to CNN statement about their livestock

Salmon interests last week called CNN unethical for reporting that farmed salmon contains harmful elements like “toxic PCB chemicals,” excrements and antibiotics and that only wild salmon is safe to consume. CNN has since then revisited the topic and published a second story, taking "a deeper look at the issue."

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Wall Street Journal notices
improving Oregon runs

This month, it's steelhead, the ocean-dwelling member of the rainbowtrout family beginning its return migration to Oregon. Steelhead, along with coho and Chinook salmon, have made a spectacular return to local streams in the past year.

Opinion: Certification of Fraser sockeye called ‘eco-fraud’

British Columbia's sockeye fishery – including the troubled Fraser River run which is currently the focus of a judicial inquiry – is about to get international certification as a sustainable fishery. But the decision, posted yesterday by the British-based Marine Stewardship Council, has led to harsh criticism in B.C. with environmental groups saying the eco-labelling program has lost its credibility.

Federal court rejects Alaska cod appeal

In a split decision, a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco yesterday rejected a complaint from Fishermen’s Finest Inc. that it was shortchanged under Amendment 85, a federal action that divided the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands cod fishery among various fleets.

Fishermen are force in Alaska Legislature

I've heard it said that commercial fishing just doesn't have the same influence in our Legislature that it once did. To hear the old-timers tell it, the halls of the Capitol used to squeak with rubber boots. Deckboss can tell you, however, that considerable commercial fishing experience still walks those halls.